Offermann Stadium
| Former names | Bison Stadium (1924-1935) |
|---|---|
| Location | Buffalo, New York |
| Capacity | 14,000 |
| Field size | Left Field—321 feet (98 m) Left Center—345 feet (105 m) Center Field—400 feet (120 m) Right Center—365 feet (111 m) Right Field—297 feet (91 m) |
| Surface | grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Demolished | 1962 |
| Tenants | |
|
Buffalo Bisons (IL) (1924-1960) Buffalo Bison/Rangers (NFL) (1924-1929) |
|
Coordinates: 42°54′54″N 78°51′43″W / 42.915114°N 78.862009°W
Offermann Stadium was a stadium in Buffalo, New York. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home of Buffalo Bisons of the International League. The ballpark had a capacity of 14,000 people and opened in 1924. It was located on the block bounded by East Ferry Street (north, third base), Masten Avenue (east, left field), Woodlawn Avenue (south, right field) and Michigan Avenue (west, first base).
The site on the corner of East Ferry and Michigan Avenue had been in use as a baseball venue since 1889. Buffalo Baseball Park was constructed on the site in that year, replacing Olympic Park as the Bisons' home ballpark. The wooden stands served as the Bisons' home stadium through the 1923 season. For 1924, a new steel-and-concrete structure was built on the site. It was initially called Bison Stadium, and was renamed in memory of owner Frank J. Offermann following his death.
According to one source, this park was the site of the first high-minor league night game, on July 3, 1930, a year in which many minor league teams resorted to lights during the heat of summer as a means of boosting attendance as the Great Depression began to take effect (the majors would not begin using lights until 1935).
The ballpark had fairly cozy dimensions. It was on a rectangular block, with the diamond tilted somewhat counterclockwise relative to the streets. Left field was 321 feet, left center 345, center 400, right center 365, right field line 297. Also, it was reportedly only 33 feet to the backstop. This added up to a hitters park, and several sluggers took advantage, especially Luke Easter, who in the mid-1950s led the International League in home runs despite being over 40 years old. Earlier, in May 1938, the much-traveled Bob "Suitcase" Seeds had hit 7 home runs in two days here.
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